DanThat'sCool!

This weekend would be Jim Henson’s 75th birthday, and what better way to remember the Man who gave us Kermit than with one of the best Muppet Movie clips ever?

Anyone born pre-Justin Bieber probably has a soft spot for at least one of the Muppet characters, and Gonzo’s campfire song from The Muppet Movie is a classic.

Happy Birthday, Jim.  The Muppets are still Cool, but not as cool without you.

It’s time to light the lights.

Muppets: The Green Album is out this week with its oddly eclectic mix of toe tapping coffee shop, electronic indy and retro Muppets toonz.

I rambled on about my Warm & Fozzie Muppet Memories a few days back, so I’ll spare you the flashbacks this time around.

I still relate to Gonzo.  We’ll just leave it at that.

The whole point of this ramble vs. the last ramble is to give you a look at the first video from The Green Album collection.  The Muppet Show Theme Song!  OK Go and a truckload of your favorite characters are mashed up into a chaotic production, which references lots of Muppetized OK Go music videos.

In what I can only describe as  internet viral video musicians meet classic TV for an unsupervised play date, the whole video is a bit like they tossed everything they could find onto the wall to see what sticks, and then filmed it before it hit the floor.  All while eating too much sugar.

But the Muppet Show was never known for it’s intricate plot devices now that I think about it.  They just danced, sang, jumped around, yelled really loud and fell down alot.

Nothing has changed.  VEVO is premiering the video, as well as behind the scenes clips featuring some classic Miss Piggy gettin’ all Diva on the set.

It’s The Muppets, with an OK Go twist.  Or maybe it’s OK Go with a Muppet twist.  I’m not even sure anymore…you decide.

Either way, it’s totally worth a few minutes of work time to check out the vid right here.

Funny how we spend out entire childhood wanting to grow up, and then through some cruel twist of fate we actually get our wish and grow up, and then…well…whoa…thanks, but on second thought I’d like to be a kid a little bit longer if that’s ok with you guys.  If only it was that easy.  Nobody told me the Real World came with cable bills, spotty 3G coverage and responsibilities.

It would have been nice if someone had thought to put that in the fine print of my adult contract before I threw my retainer out and signed my life away.

Luckily there are some things that will always bring back the feeling of those younger days.  Things like bad prom pictures, that hidden box of beat up action figures you found in the attic, and The Muppets.

More dysfunctional then any family on your street, with one song The Muppets could somehow always make everything ok.

They were oddballs.  They were our loyal friends.  They were goofballs, and like it or not we all recognized a little bit of ourselves in them.

Yes, I was probably Gonzo.  There.  I said it.  I own it.

Since none of us are probably going to load up our iPods with John Denver and The Muppets A Christmas Together and jump on the treadmill, you should check out the soon to be released tribute Muppets: The Green Album.  Some of today’s biggest performers give us their take on classic Muppet songs from the past.  From indy singers to a little more mainstream, a number of fan favorite Muppet tunes are covered on this disc.

OK Go, The Fray, Weezer and My Morning Jacket are just a few of the musicians featured, who all show a deep respect for both the music and the history of The Muppets.  It is a very eclectic mix of songs and artists, but a very cool take on some classic Muppet jams from both the TV show and the movies.  There is a little something for everyone.  You’re not going to find Beyonce on here.  This is definitely a bit more of a hipster indy crew.  The artist list is shown on the cover shot below…check the link for more info as well.  For all you Muppet Fashionistas out there…if you purchase or download from the official site you also get a very neato t shirt and a retro poster so you can Muppetize your pad.

Regardless of your musical taste I guarantee you’ll tap your toes a little bit, possibly even crack a child like smile when no one is looking…and definitely flashback to a simpler time for a few tracks.

A Warm & Fozzie DanCool thumbs up.